Successful Flintlock Hunt

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Sparkitoff1

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Condensed version of this week...
I pause to pray for a successful end to this hunt and then I continue to get what gear I might need. Put on my belt with extra loads, have possibles bag with wind meter and rangefinder, tripod shooting sticks (make sure they work). Whoa, it stopped raining. Timing is perfect. I pull the rifle from the case, ease the frizzen forward and pull the vent pick. I put the required amount of prime in the pan and close the frizzen gently. I have a frizzen cover in place and I check that the cock is engaged in the half notch. I instruct the boys to drive back down the road the way we came about a half mile and wait. Listen for a shot or look back with the spotting scope and look for me. The truck rolls off. There is no object to range-find so I guess the pronghorn are about 400-yards.

I walk along the road ditch about 100-yards. The pronghorn are bedded down about 45-degrees to the NE of me and about 300-yards out. I walk quietly one step at a time angling towards the pronghorn, eventually cutting the distance by another 100-yards. Now I crawl on the wet ground. Push the sticks ahead with the left arm - that sore shoulder... and push the rifle ahead with the right arm. I sit up and check the wind. 12.6 MPH from left to right. I crawl some more and wait. 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes. The antelope stand up. Slowly, the does walk single file from left to right to a break in the barbed wire fence. The first antelope goes through the opening and turns to its right, headed away from me. The second doe follows. The third doe is about to go through the opening when I think, duh, I should check the range. It says 137-yards. I check again. 137. Again. 137. She walks through the opening and turns away. I am perplexed. This buck is about to cross the opening and turn away from me. This has been a long hunt and a long stalk. I am doing math in my head. I have the rifle dead on at 100-yards. I have never shot past that range as I just don't have a place with any other distance to shoot. I have read the ballistics charts after entering my velocity, weight, B.C., elevation, etc. The ball is supposed to drop 5.25" at 125-yards. I never looked further because that is already a lot of drop. Now I'm thinking....the ball is slowing and falling. So if it fell 5+ inches in 25-yards, another 12-yards could add 3-4 inches more? 8.5" drop? Oh yeah, and then there's the wind and the fact that the buck is slowly walking into the wind. 12.6 MPH is something like 5-inches drift? I am sitting and I do have the rifle rock-steady on the tripod sticks. I set the trigger and breathe. As the breath leaves my body I put the front sight in the "L" formed by the neck and backline. That should be enough drop and drift compensation. The buck stops broadside at the opening of the fence and there is a "BOOM" followed by smoke. I did not hear the "whack" I was listening for. The smoke clears and I see the buck running to the right like he is tipping over. He falls, gets up and runs to the left like he is tipping that way. He falls again. He gets up and walks with a limp straight away another 50-yards and stands with his head low. He is about 150-yards away. I mark the spot and crawl back to the road.....

…. in about 5-minutes the truck shows up. They were able to see the action in the spotting scope. They think I hit the buck but didn't see where he went. I get my loading stick and reload. I give the boys the same instructions, drive off and wait. I walk down the road about 100-yards and then cut into the field. I make a "C" and come towards the buck from the way was facing. I crawl what I feel is the last 100-yards to get me back into range. I pop up sitting but can't see the buck. I stand and look. Nothing. Oops, there he is further to the right. I throw up the rangefinder. 99-yard. I hit the button again. 99-yards. I set up my sticks and rest the rangefinder on the sticks for a more solid rest. 99-yards. I can do this! I put the rifle over the sticks like I have done a hundred times at the range. I do take into account the wind and I hold 5-inches into the wind. Set the trigger, concentrate, concentrate. "Boom". The rifle has spoken for the second time in the last 15-minutes. As the smoke clears I see the buck running away, but the bright red spot on his side reassures me that he won't run far. After about a 45-yard run the buck stops suddenly and does a back flip. All is still. I look out over the prairie toward the road and see the blue pickup coming my way. I walk to the buck. The 145-yard walk is awkward with the rifle, the sticks, the mud and my fast pace. Crawling slowly was easier. Eventually I reach the buck and he has clearly succumbs to the .54 caliber roundballs.
I look for evidence of my shots impact. The back leg is barely hanging on, attached by just skin. My first shot did drop... more than I anticipated. The wind and the slow walking animal did drift my shot....more than I anticipated. The hit is low in the thigh and had shattered the bone entirely. There is profuse bleeding from the wound and the exit hole is about the size of a tennis ball. Not pretty or as planned but it did allow me to detain the animal long enough to make a shot that was quickly lethal. The second shot hit right where I aimed....5 inches back from where I wanted the ball to hit. I forgot that on the initial shot the wind was from West to East but my second shot was North to South directly with the wind.

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Hunting pronghorns in open country with a flint-er... now THAT was one heck of a successful hunt...awesome trophy too! Enjoyed the read:thumbs up:
 
Great job Spark! So glad to hear you were successful after the way the hunt started. I'd love to hear what the other CF hunters thought of that "crazy smokepole guy" being able to get into range.
 
Wow...no that's pure hunting at its finest. Congrats Sparkitoff on a challenging stalk to say the least with iron sights!
Great picture too.
 
Man, but that's a good buck! Regardless of the scenario that was still good shooting.
 

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